By Gilbert Azeem Tiroog
Nalerigu (NE/R), June 21, GNA – The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has urged students of the Nalerigu Nursing and Midwifery College in the North East Region to be agents of change, vigilant and avoid miscreants whose aim is to destabilize peace in the society.
The Commission said violent extremism was a global phenomenon especially in the Sahel Regions, causing havoc in many countries and it was important that Tertiary students and youth groups acted as agents of change in their respective communities to prevent and contain extremists’ activities.
Mr Wilberforce Zangina, the North East Regional Director of the NCCE, addressing students at the College, said violence was counterproductive to sustainable development especially in developing countries like Ghana.
To avert this, he said there was the need for Tertiary students and youth groups to be given the needed guidance to enable them develop tolerance for divergent views and eschew tendencies that could trigger violence and disturb the peace of the country.
The engagement formed part of the Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism project being implemented by the NCCE with funding support from the European Union and aimed at strengthening state and non-state actors at the National and Community level in the fight against extremist activities.
It had technical support from the National Security.
Mr Zangina emphasized that “Peace and National cohesion remain pre-requisite for development and l encourage Youth groups to avoid activities that could ruin the peace of our country by respecting the views of others and reporting suspicious characters”.
Mr Patrick Asare Nelson, the Project Manager and leader of the PCVE project called on the students to be peace ambassadors, adding that the maintenance of the peace that the country was enjoying needed a collective effort by all individuals.
Mr Asampana John, the Deputy public Relations officer of the Students Representative Council ((SRC), reflected that financial marginalization was considered as one of the causes of violent extremism and appealed to the Government to pay the students’ allowances it owed to foster peace.
Mr Ayamba Valentine, the Principal of the Nalerigu Nursing and Midwifery College expressed gratitude to the Commission for its relentless effort at ensuring a peaceful society for the advancement of development.
He said the education offered to the students would help shape their behaviour on campus and even transcend to their respective communities and potential workplaces for the maintenance of peace in the Country.
GNA